Thanks Dad, can I call you Dad? By the way, you said you rubbed 10 coats of oil on the stock. It's beautiful, but not as shiny as I would expect for 10 coats. What kind did you use? You did an outstanding job. It's still hard to believe that rifle and others shown off came from a kit!
I break down the coats with Burlap - and hand rub them in until they start to dry - IMO - On any wood with pronounced grain, the deeper the clear coat, the better the reflection and the grain results. The 10 coats with breaking them down probably equal 3-4 regular coats, yet every scratch, edge, grain and (with Walnut) pinhole is filled in depth.
Bring it up to a finish, and take it down almost to the wood, then wait a few days (a week if needed) and do it again. dry to the touch and little or no smell for the next coat. small sections, using surgical gloves, rub it in until the friction warmth starts to harden the coating. a few days later, take it down with some Burlap, Wash, rinse, repeat.
I actually use Minwax Antique wood oil for my finishes, I can throttle the luster from dull to gloss and it's HARD stuff when fully dried. I can't say for any other brand or home made formula (and have no bias), but I have been using this for 30 years or so, so I am a believer. Walnut takes a different approach, as the first two coats get put on by 600 grit sandpaper - yes - the finish is applied by wet and dry sandpaper, the micro flakes of wood that are created by the "sanding" fill the end grain of the Walnut and make a glass smooth surface. (you saw that on my .36) and my other non Flintlock projects that also have Walnut stocks.
I was lucky with the Iron Nitrate, First time and pretty nervous - After I applied it, It looked like a piece of driftwood when it dried, I was kind of shocked, but I have a Hobby heat gun (used to shrink plastic covering for airplanes) and I started to heat it and it started to turn Brown - it does need heat, lots of it - and I thought almost too much, but it changes like a 1970's mood ring...
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When that is done, it's still brown muddy, sand with 300 then 600 dry paper, and wet the stock with water and you will be amazed - the more you sand, the sharper the dark curl gets.. I sanded 4-5 times on this rifle, stained it with thinned stain, sanded with 1000 grit and then applied the finish. It's cool that the curl flows with the angle the sun hits it...Must be the iron Nitrate..
